CM Pinarayi Vijayan slams BJP in Chengannur

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on BJP’s ‘communal’ politics combined with aggressive neo-liberal agenda and held the mass exodus of Congress leaders and workers responsible for Sangh Parivar’s recent electoral victories in some states. He sought support for Saji Cherian, the LDF candidate in Chengannur, calling upon voters to give a crushing defeat to both the Congress and BJP in the forthcoming crucial bypoll. Inaugurating the LDF election convention at Chengannur, he said RSS was attacking Muslims, Christians and Communists in many parts of the country. Muslims are being attacked in the name of cow protection and Christian churches and worship halls were being targeted to instill fear among minorities.

Pinarayi recollected how CPM state committee office in Bhubaneswar was thrown open for Christian community for shelter and to conduct prayer meetings when BJP-RSS attacked them in 2008.  Attacks on Christians in Kerala, though isolated, reflected the Parivar’s character. The dalits are also being targeted. The chief minister said BJP’s communal politics and aggressive implementation of neo liberal policies had wreaked havoc in the country. People are dejected and it is reflecting in the election results.

“The defeat of BJP in Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats which were vacated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya clearly hints at the voters’ mood. SP and BSP came together resulting in maximum pooling of anti-BJP votes. The Congress which contested the two seats could not even save its security deposit.” The Chief Minister said the BJP victory in Tripura was due to the complete shift in Congress leadership and voter base. From 36.5 percent the Congress vote came down to 1.5 percent. As many as 36 Congress leaders who contested in last elections were BJP candidates this time.

In Kerala BJP could open account in Nemom because of the shifting of Congress votes. Therefore the Congress cannot be an alternative to the BJP and the Left democratic secular forces will have to come forward to fight the Parivar.   The CM dwelt at length on the his government’s achievements. Pinarayi said the state was free of major law and order problems and the degree of corruption was also low. The government has implemented a series of development programmes for women, weaker sections, NRKs, houses for homeless, protection of general education, family health centres, development of roads, bridges, highways, gas pipeline, metro and airports.